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Five Reasons You Should Embrace Your Period

I
didn't get my first period until I was 14. By then almost everyone
else in my school year already had theirs and I was beginning to
wonder what was wrong with me. I was a shy teenager who didn't have
much confidence anyway and thought everyone would think I was a freak
if I didn't have blood gushing out of my vagina every month.

When
I finally did get my period, I was happy for all of about five
minutes until I realised what it was going to entail. The stomach
cramps, the mood swings, the bloating, the eating-everything-in-sight
(actually, that bit was okay by me), the leakage when I didn't change
my sanitary towel quickly enough and the struggle to learn how to
insert a tampon.

That
was almost 20 years ago now and - hang on, what? I've been having
periods for 20 years? Seriously, where has my life gone? - and although I
can now insert a tampon in my sleep, I still suffer from all the
other symptoms I just listed...and more (sore nipples, anyone? What
the hell is that about?)

Anyway,
you may not think there are many good things about your 'time of the
month' and if I were to write a post listing all the things to hate
about your period it'd be infinitely longer than this one, but I've
come to the conclusion that there really are some perks to
getting your monthlies. Hey, it only took me twenty years!

So
here are five good things about periods. Yes, I could only think of
five.

1.
They're a natural part of a woman's reproductive cycle. They show
that you're ovulating and healthy enough to carry a baby one day.

2.
If you don't want to have a child yet (or ever), getting your period
signals that you're not pregnant.

3.
It also gives you an excuse to lie on the sofa bingeing on Netflix
and chocolate all day because you don't feel like doing anything
else.

4.
They give us a sense of sisterhood as they're something only women
can experience - and men will never understand.

5.
They're a fact of life and there's nothing you can do about them anyway. So
there's really not much point complaining.

So
next time that bloody nuisance Aunt Flo comes to visit, remind yourself that it's just a
sign that you're a healthy female who deserves to relax with your feet up and a box of
Milk Tray. And if that doesn't help...well, at least I tried!

Come on, girls - I challenge you to think of a reason to love your period! Let us all know in the comments!

I would challenge you to consider re-framing your use of women and men - trans women are still women even if they don't have periods and many trans men (and some of us nonbinary folks!) also have periods, but we don't identify as women.

So saying that periods are something ONLY women experience can feel really invalidating and like our experiences are being erased from the narrative.